Welcome from the Vice President for Research

CWRU researchers are among the most distinguished in the world. We have 16 Nobel Laureates among current and former faculty and alumni, 4 members of the National Academies of Sciences, 7 members of the National Academy of Engineering, and 8 members of the Institute of Medicine. We also partner with artistic and cultural institutions on a broad range of projects that make important scholarly contributions in the humanities and social sciences.

Extraordinary research requires an outstanding infrastructure. Our Office of Research & Technology Management provides support to seek out grant funding, to facilitate industrial sponsorship, and to transfer university technologies to the marketplace. This is a place for people driven to make a difference, and our office exists to help them succeed.

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Research Newsletter

July 14, 2015

National Institutes of Health – Lasker Clinical Research Scholars

The National Institutes of Health, the nation's premier agency for biomedical and behavioral research, in partnership with the Lasker Foundation, is pleased to announce the Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program, an historic "intramural-extramural" partnership to nurture the next generation of clinical researchers. The program supports a small number of exceptional clinical researchers in the early stages of their careers to promote their development to fully independent positions. Successful candidates are designated as Lasker Clinical Research Scholars.

Lasker Scholars receive a unique combination of NIH funding for clinical research for to 10 years. In the first phase of the program, Scholars will receive appointments for 5-7 years as tenure-track investigators within the NIH Intramural Research Program with independent budgets. In the second phase, successful Scholars will receive up to 3 years of NIH support for their research at an extramural research facility; or the Scholar can be considered to remain as an investigator within the intramural program.

Lasker Scholars will have access to the NIH Clinical Center, the nation's largest hospital devoted entirely to clinical research. Through an arrangement with the Lasker Foundation, Scholars will have the opportunity to participate in selected activities, including attendance at the Lasker Breakfast and Award Luncheon, and participation in annual scientific meetings.

The William H. Johnson Foundation for the Arts – 2015 William H. Johnson Prize

The William H. Johnson Foundation for the Arts is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization that seeks to encourage African American artists early in their careers by offering financial grants. The Johnson Foundation awards grants to individuals who work in the following media: painting, photography, sculpture, printmaking, installation and/or new genre.

The William H. Johnson Prize is awarded annually to an early-career African American artist. For their purposes, "early-career" is a flexible term that should be interpreted liberally to include artists who have finished their academic work within twelve years from the year that a prize is awarded. For example, a person who finished their studies in 2003 is eligible to apply in 2015, but not in 2016. Age is not determinative, and artists who have not earned BFAs or MFAs are still eligible so long as they have not been working as a professional artist for more than twelve years.

The 2015 William H. Johnson Prize is $25,000 and the winner will be announced in December 2015.

Computing devices are machines used to acquire, store, analyze, process, and publish data and other information electronically and include accessories (or peripherals) for printing, transmitting and receiving, or storing electronic information. Computing devices costing less than $5,000 are not considered equipment and therefore are treated as supplies and materials. Therefore, if a computing device is to be acquired for use in the performance of a federal award, the computing device may be charged to the federal award provided that:

it is essential (i.e., necessary) to performing the work under the award, and

the cost is allocable and reasonable.

Determining whether a computing device is essential – The Principal Investigator should consider (and document) whether performing the work under the award without the computing device would be difficult and inefficient. An important measure of this is determining (and documenting) whether the anticipated cost of performing the work without the computing device is greater than the combined cost of performing the work plus the cost of acquiring the computing device.

Determining whether a computing device is allocable to a federal award – If a computing device is essential to and will benefit a federal award, it is allocable to that award. The cost may be allocated to a federal award even when its usage is not solely dedicated to it. However, the Principal Investigator should first consider the amount of benefit of the computing device to the project, and the cost should be allocated proportionally with a reasonable cost allocation methodology.

Determining whether the cost of a computing device is reasonable – The Principal Investigator must make an informed, prudent decision, taking into consideration not only the cost, but the utility, quality and value of the device to the project.

If a computing device is not essential to a federal award, it is not allocable (in whole or in part) as a direct cost to that award. In such cases, the computing device is considered to be a “general use” item and must be treated as an indirect cost expense (just like paper, pens and other general use supplies), and charged to an appropriate institutional funding source.

Please remember that all expenses charged to federal awards must conform to the cost principles specified in the OMB Uniform Guidance. Please consult with the Office of Research Administration if you should have any questions about whether you may charge a specific expense to federal funds.

FOIA Requests

CWRU researchers who receive requests for information that invoke the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) should contact the Office of General Counsel. This should be done immediately so the extremely short deadlines under FOIA can be met. General Counsel can work with the faculty member to take steps to protect proprietary or confidential information from grants and protocols prior to the release of the requested information. Individual researchers should not release information without first consulting with the CWRU Office of General Counsel.

The William T. Grant Foundation’s Distinguished Fellows Program creates bridges between the research, practice, and policy communities. The program is designed to increase the supply of, demand for, and use of high-quality research to improve the lives of youth.

During the Fellowship, researchers are immersed in a practice or policy setting, and policymakers and practitioners in a research organization. This immersion helps Fellows to experience firsthand the needs and challenges of their new settings. It is expected that these experiences will facilitate the production and use of relevant, high-quality research and create stronger connections across the research, policy, and practice communities.

Proposed Fellowships must fit the Foundation’s focus areas. Specifically, this includes youth ages 5 to 25 in the United States. The program funds research that increases our understanding of:

programs, policies, and practices that reduce inequality in youth outcomes; and

the use of research in policy and practice.

Between one and four Fellows are selected annually. Each will receive up to $175,000 (including direct and indiect costs) for the total duration of the Fellowship. Fellowships may range from six months to two years. The structure of the Fellowship is deliberately flexible. Fellowship activity must amount to a minimum of half of a year at the Fellowship site(s) over the duration of the award. Thus, the minimum duration is six months of full-time work, but a quarter-time Fellowship may spread over the course of two years.

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